I hear you say that they won the competition. They beat the Free State Cheetahs in the final, you will go on to say. What rubbish!
Look at the stats before you sprout you so-called rugby knowledge.
I am going to start by looking at the Currie Cup table after the group stages were played. I am getting it from the source that seems to be the be all and end all of rugby in South Africa, www.supersport.com/rugby
ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division | Log |
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | BPts | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sharks | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 424 | 231 | 193 | 48 | 21 | 6 | 54 |
2 | Vodacom Western Province | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 445 | 226 | 219 | 51 | 19 | 10 | 50 |
3 | Vodacom Blue Bulls | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 475 | 299 | 176 | 56 | 28 | 10 | 46 |
4 | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 485 | 280 | 205 | 62 | 27 | 8 | 40 |
5 | GWK Griquas | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 404 | 447 | -43 | 50 | 52 | 8 | 40 |
6 | Xerox Lions | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 391 | 292 | 99 | 43 | 26 | 9 | 37 |
I have included only the top six in the league as the bottom two should not even be in the competitor.
I want you to have a good look at the top four teams. Have a good look at the amount of games won in their fourteen competitive matches. We are talking percentages here.
The Bulls won 64% of the matches they played. That is less than two-thirds of the games. That's right folks, this team that you claim are the best team in South Africa, and others are proclaiming as the best franchise side in the world will only win less than 2 out every 3 games that they play.
The opposition in the final were the Free State Cheetahs. Their winning percentages are even lower. 57% to be exact. How sad that South Africa's premier rugby competition is played between two teams that cannot win a third of the matches that they play. In fact, one of them struggles to win every second game.
Now, if you please, look at the top two teams in the log. Oops, did I use the the words, "top two"?
Western Province have a winning percentage of 71% while the Sharks winning percentage is 85% yet both of these teams did not contest the final of the competition. Is it just m or something really foul in the nation of South Africa?
Imagine if the last 3 weeks of the English Premiership was contested in a semifinal and final to decide who win the competition. Manchester United play Arsenal and Liverpool take on Chelsea. Chelsea win away from home thanks to an injury time penalty awarded by a blind referee. In the other semi, Arsenal win 3-2 at Old Trafford, again, Rooney fouled someone and the Gunners go to play the final at home and go on to win.
Sound right? Of course not. That is not the way it works.
In England, the team who plays and win the most matches in the league are the League Champions. Once having won, they don't go on to play in a knockout-cup-style competition and only then go on to win. That makes no sense, yet here our amazing rugby brains think it's okay to do.
C'mon SARU, get yourself towards yourself.
And as for every journo that think the Bulls are the best, think about this for a moment. You were beaten by the Shark in both of your league games.
Get a life.
I never believed in that fact that the team winning the final should considered as "BEST". A lot of other stats need to be taken into account before deciding who deserves the tag for "BEST OF THE SEASON".
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